Config/profile disables for connectors, apps, and plugins are ignored in Codex CLI

[elliot463]

What version of Codex CLI is running?

codex-cli 0.118.0-alpha.2

What subscription do you have?

Pro

Which model were you using?

gpt-5.4

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.19045.0 x64

What terminal emulator and version are you using (if applicable)?

PowerShell

What issue are you seeing?

Config/profile disables for connectors, apps, and plugins are ignored.

I started Codex from a fresh PowerShell session with:

codex --profile cli-no-connectors

I expected connector-backed tools to be absent, but they were still exposed in the session.

I also reproduced the same behavior with explicit config overrides instead of profile merging, so this does not appear
to be just a profile-resolution issue.

I searched for duplicates first. The closest related issues I found were:

- #3441 (config.toml not being honored for MCP server behavior)
- #2384 (config.toml settings being ignored)

This issue is specifically about connector/app/plugin disable flags being ignored.

### What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Put this in ~/.codex/config.toml:

[profiles.cli-no-connectors.mcp_servers.linear]
enabled = false

[profiles.cli-no-connectors.apps.linear]
enabled = false

[profiles.cli-no-connectors.apps.github]
enabled = false

[profiles.cli-no-connectors.apps.google_calendar]
enabled = false

[profiles.cli-no-connectors.apps.alltrails]
enabled = false

[profiles.cli-no-connectors.plugins."linear@openai-curated"]
enabled = false

2. Start Codex with:

codex --profile cli-no-connectors

3. Ask what MCP/connectors/tools are available, or otherwise inspect available tools in-session.
4. Observe that connector-backed tools are still available.
5. Repeat with explicit overrides instead of the profile:

codex `
  -c 'mcp_servers.linear.enabled=false' `
  -c 'apps.linear.enabled=false' `
  -c 'apps.github.enabled=false' `
  -c 'apps.google_calendar.enabled=false' `
  -c 'apps.alltrails.enabled=false' `
  -c 'plugins."linear@openai-curated".enabled=false'

6. Observe the same result: connector-backed tools are still available.

### What is the expected behavior?

I expected the disabled MCP server, apps, and plugin to not be exposed in the session at all.

Specifically, I expected no tool access for:

- Linear MCP
- Linear app/plugin
- GitHub app
- Google Calendar app
- AllTrails app


### Additional information

Those connector-backed tools were still exposed in the session despite being disabled in both:

- a named profile
- direct -c ...enabled=false overrides

[github-actions]

Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.

• #[profiles] Empty mcp_servers in profile does not shadow global mcp_servers #17503
• #bug: -c 'mcp_servers={}' silently no-ops instead of clearing MCP servers #16045
• #Disable the built-in GitHub app (the one that appears in the $ command) after v0.117 #16083

Powered by Codex Action

[etraut-openai]

Thanks for the bug report. This isn't a bug in the way it's described, but it does point to a current limitation. Profiles do not currently support arbitrary nested config sections like mcp_servers, apps, or plugins.

We are planning to replace profiles in their current form with a new mechanism that will not have these limitations. This work is underway and should land soon.